The Mediation of Emotion Regulation Strategies in the Relationship between Internet Addiction and Life Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background/purpose – The research aimed to examine the mediation of emotion regulation strategies in the relationship between Internet addiction and life satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Materials/methods – The participants consisted of 357 volunteers, aged 18 or over (257 females, 100 males), who were contacted online during 2021. The study used Young’s Internet Addiction Test-Short Form, the Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale as data collection instruments. The researchers employed descriptive statistics, the Pearson correlation coefficient, and mediation analysis to analyze the collected data. Results – The findings of the research revealed a low-level negative (r = -.23, p < .01) significant relationship between Internet addiction and satisfaction with life. A low-level positive (r = .20, p .05). Based on the mediation analysis, the mediation of reappraisal in the relationship between Internet addiction and satisfaction with life was not shown to be statistically significant, whilst mediation of suppression was found to be statistically significant. Conclusion – It was determined that the model examined in the study explained 11% of the total variance in life satisfaction. According to the results of the study, suppression was shown to be an important variable in the relationship between Internet addiction and life satisfaction. The study’s findings were interpreted and discussed within the framework of the current literature, with various suggestions presented.